Len Lipkin

Pitfalls of an Elite Education Part 3: Civility?

There was recently an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times by Charles Blow--Private School Civility Gap. The article references a 2010 study by the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics, "Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth" which surveyed 43,000 kids on attitudes toward sex, violence, race, drugs, alcohol, bullying, and more. There are many fascinating statistics in the study, but the ones that are most surprising (to me) are the one that are referenced by Blow--boys at private, religiously affiliated schools are more likely to

PSS Community

Why I Chose St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Philadelphia

The primary reason why I choose Catholic school for our daughter was that she was not going to meet the public school age limit for Kindergarten. We were coming from Canada where the age limit for Kindergarten was 5 by December 31st and we were only moving to Philadelphia for a couple of years so when looking for places to live, I asked in a couple of Catholic schools to see if they would take her, and St Francis Xavier said they were happy to. This ultimately brought us to live in Fairmount! I think the Catholic schools have a little more flexibility than the public schools in that regard. Overall I was very happy with the Catholic school experience (specifically St Frannies) for the following

Len Lipkin

Resource for People Investigating Catholic School Options

Longtime readers of this blog know that I am Jewish.  As such, Catholic Schools have not been on my school search radar and, by extension, absent from this blog.  I have been looking into getting contributions from other parents on a variety of topics, including Catholic schools.  Are you interested in contributing? In the meantime, if you are considering Catholic School options in Philly, be sure to...

Len Lipkin

Friends Schools Mystique Part 1: An Outsider’s Perspective

If you are from Philadelphia, you probably know about the Quaker-backed Friends Schools.  Depending on how widely you define the Philadelphia area, there are about 30 Friends Schools here, I believe among the highest concentration of Quaker schools in the world.  Growing up, the closest one to my house was Moorestown Friends. Though I did not attend, I did take music lessons from one of their teachers...

PSS Community

Why I Chose Germantown Academy: 2010-05-28 School Selection Report

Tell PSS and our readers about your school choice! Date Submitted: 5/28/2010 What school did you decide on? Germantown Academy Calendar year your child entered/will enter 2010 Grade your child entered/will enter Pre-K What neighborhood are you in? NW Philly What schools did you consider? GA, Penn Charter, Waldron Mercy Academy, Norwood-Fontbonne Academy What factors were most important to you?...

Len Lipkin

Pew Reports: Charters Booming, But Parents Want More School Choice

In a study released today, Pew Charitable Trusts found that more and more parents are sending their children to charter schools, but even with the huge increase in charter school enrollment (170%), many families (72%) say city parents actually need more good choices than currently exist.  The losers?  Public schools, because the increased free choices have drawn more students away, and Catholic Schools,...

PSS Community

Why I Chose Annunciation BVM: 2010-03-24 School Selection Report

Date Submitted: 3/24/2010 What school did you decide on? Annunciation BVM Philadelphia Calendar year your child entered/will enter 2007 Grade your child entered/will enter 4 What neighborhood are you in? South Philly What schools did you consider? St. Nicholas of Tolentine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Sacred Heart of Mary and Our Lady of Angels. What factors were most important to you? Location, Teaching...

Len Lipkin

Language Immersion And Philly Primary Schools

In the book, Critical Issues in Early Second Language Learning, Myriam Met collected a series of essays and studies on foreign language study in early childhood